Big waves are measured in increments of fear, the adrenaline rush is a blast but small waves are measured in increments of fun, and ripping up small waves can be just as good!

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Tuesday morning, May 27th, Seal Beach River Jetties, Los Alamitos Bay (Ray Bay, largest concentration of Stingray's in SOCAL) low tide, super clean glassy conditions but small, knee to waist with the occasional chest high sets lining up like a point break from Barracuda's on the North Jetty to the Crab's Jetty in the South.

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Only a handful of people in the water catching some nice hollow little waves. Taking off in the jack up from the strong ebb current on the middle sandbar. Just to stay in the lineup you had to keep paddling all the time (or stand on the bottom of the sandbar and hope Mr. Ray was sleeping).

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"California Dreaming"

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The river has a very small window, usually only lasts for an hour or so, works best on the low tide with incoming push. True to form we had a short session of classic but inconsistant shoulder high beauties!

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Nailed a big one right in the suck up, hard off the bottom, smack off the lip, then down for another and another and another, starting to feather in front of me but as my buddies were inside watching, instead of crouching through the section, smacked the lip hard into a backhand floater, slid down in the barrel and blew out on to the shoulder (I swear there was no way I thought I was going to make it) starting to wall up now on the shallow sandbar in front of the rocks at Crabs Jetty, stepped up for a cheater five and going and going and going!

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Sometimes you are in the zone and get one of those rides where everything just clicks ... yeah!

Session:

The thing about Westport is that its best after labor day wknd for several reasons: no crowds, better weather, nicer swell, more parking and less traffic to get there and get out.

During the summer you'll have to contend with all of the above if you want to take a chance to get lucky and catch some waves, otherwise you're driveing 80 miles south to OR, and with gas being what it is, thats another $50 in gas and 3+ hrs of driving. So catch the dawn sessions and late late evenings, enjoy the freak show from a good spot you scored in the parking lot during the day, play with the dog and take naps.

On good days theres some really talented surfers there that can make anyone feel humble, but for the most part watch your head and board (especially during summer) or you'll get hit by a rental board.

The cove hardly works in the summer but when it does (no matter when) its not for the begginers. fast, powerfull wave with a steep take off, drops fast, breaks in showllow water and will pound you and make you go on the spin cycle.

Groins, super nice when they're working, just can't hold more then a dozen people.

Jetty...nice when its clean which is rare, usually crowded.

The town has nothing to offer really but if you're going for anything else besides surfing, theres somethere wrong. Mermaid's is a prolly your best bet for a good restaurant and cool bar at night (only one in town), the other two are white trash jokes for the most part (no offense to the local white trash).

Surf shops? There are two, The Surf shop (first one you'll see when you drive into town) which in my personal experience is the last place i'd ever step foot inside ever again. got a bad vibe from the owner, big al, who was a dick to me and my friend. The second shop closer to the braks, Steepwater is way, way, way cooler with way nicer and cool owners.

Camping? Twin harbors state park, not cheap but nice, not too far away. Theres a private site too, forgot the name of it and plant of motels and rv lots i know nothing about.

One shitty grocery store so bring your own food.

Theft, crime or cops don't seem to be a problem.

I really like westport, its my defoult spot and really like the people i've meet there, super nice locals and mellow visitors.

My first time surfing the Cove, even though I lived in Seaside back in '96. Since I worked in CB I usually would go to shortys or Indian. Checked out the point/cove Sat, Sun and Mon of Memorial day wknd and finally put on the cold wet wetsuit Monday morning on the way out of town (after having a mediocre time at Shortys both Sat and Sun) and I'm so glad I did.... cought a cpl nice long waves that put a smile on my face and redeemed the long drive, its good to leave on a high note. It was me and a only a cpl other surfers in the water so crowd/space was not an issue (not so at shortys)!

I imagine that the point and cove work a lot better late fall, winter and early spring so thats prolly since there were not too many people out.

After reading all of the agro negativity in the posts below regarding the locals (even the caption on top of this site sort of fuels both the fears of new comers and lets the locals feed on it i think) I'm sure the peeps reading it want to hear about that too....

Well, first off i'm not the best surfer, but i try not to be a clueless dick and i'm pretty intuative as far as whats what. I've never had any issues with locals in hawaii (even though i was the only white person at magic rocks) or CR. Ya, i got vibed in the parking lot and got some static after just being polite. fuck it, no big deal. i don't need friends but certaingly don't need enemies either though...life is too short and world too small for that (as evidenced by running in to the same crew at a diff break later that day). i remember when i lived there we automatically hated people just for having WA plates. Just rember where you're at, keep your eyes out, take it all in and enjoy. I wish i had surfed seaside a long time ago, it really is a nice spot and i see why it would be worth protecting. I'd not park in the south end of the lot or real far south small "lot". Your best bet would be to park in the beggining of the lot where the old man drink their coffee and stare out at the surf.

Seaside is always cool in my book, not just cuz i lived there or been going since i was ten but b/c its beautiful and just nice.... i'd like to be a regular but unfortunately its too long of a drive, which...maybe just as well, less people there the nicer it will be for everyone, not just the locals.

I finally succeed to meet Vincent after maybe 15 years wihtout seeing eachother....

I was a little disappointed when we arrived as the sandbank was not really working. After one hour, it was crowded and we decide to move. We found a really nice peak : rights and lefts, pretty fast and hollow. I got really good waves with fun tubes ! a good session at the end

There are no waves here. It is all just a farce. Illegal Aliens will rob you if you go there. There are devils there at night as well. Also a tight group of expat locals that will hassle you in the lineup. Dont go there if you value your life. No good for surfing.

OK, heres the real deal.

Did the Hell Drive on Saturday the 25th. Couldn't make it any earlier so missed the low tide drive. In any case, it was worth all 5 hours of hell to get there. Arrived around 3 PM on Saturday and caught nice chest to head high peelers. Long rights (100 to 150 Yards) and short sweet lefts (50 Yards). Been going there for 30 years and once again I remember why I love that place. Surfed all day the next day (Sunday) and it just kept coming. What a blast. Just got back from Costa Rica about a month earlier and of course caught nice waves at Domincal and Pavones and a couple of secret spots, but I gotta say that on a FUNNESS level last weekend at Mansfield was right up ther with the Costa trip. When you factor in the 0 crowd that counts for a lot. Now here comes June, and the 2008 Cane season. Thank god the place is so hard to get to. ______)))))_________)))))))) Pura Vida

Best session ever! 2.5 metre waves, all perfect barrels! Was absolutely packed though... oh well, it was worth it! Got inside the deepest tube I've ever got in (that I've made it out of!) and there was plenty of space on the faces to do big carves and spinners. BEST BLOODY WAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAUUUSSSTTTIIIII!!!

I woke up early this Sunday for my last session in Hawaii after living and surfing here for three years. Tuesday I fly off to Coco Beach to start a new chapter in my longboard expieriance. I was the first one out to catch a falling tide knee to rare chest glassy "threes". After catching a couple and misjugding a couple more the morning crew arrived. After surfing here for as long as I have, I know that when I am in a new spot I ensure those that surf there more often get a few good sets in before I start charging again (Haole surfing 101). However, these guys must have thought me a Kook or truly believed they owned the spot, I got pushed, snaked, and down right run out of the premo outside sets. I know my role in Hawaiian waters when alone so I moved to the inside where I started catching some smaller and softer, but still fun, waves until I had one die out unexpectedly and I ran the nose of a borrowed board right into a submerged concreate block.... this threw me right into a bed of urchins! 42 spines in the right hand, too many to list in the right foot and a few in the behind left me scrambling to get back on the board. Unfortunatly the board had a 3" gouge right in the nose. An hour later after using some tweezers and solar rez all is almost right in the world, my buddy is happy to have his repaired board back with a case of beer as thanks and I am looking forward to surfing my own stick in a friendlier break. I would like to wish all those that I have had the pleasure of surfing the breaks of Hawaii with a warm and heart felt mahalo for everything. For those who think they own the breaks.....where is your aloha brudda? Much love to all and I will be back again.

Scott and I hit up our last Saturday dawn patrol together in Hawaii on yet another day they were calling flat. We hit up in-betweens knowing there would be glassy conditions, not to mention I was staying in a hotel just off from the break. We were very pleased to have the break all to ourselves for the first two hours of the session and riding solid knee to waist (more knee than waist) waves. It was like a revolving door of surfing and paddling back out. This may havebeen the smallest day that we ever expierianced at this break, but it was hands down one of the most fun! The surf gods truly blessed us with a great day with awesome friends!

Scott and I cut out of work early to hit up what was supposed to be a growing 3-5' North swell with Kona Winds. To our surprise the swell has slowed and will not arrive until tomorrow and will be overhead plus! We drove from Haleiwa to Turtle Bay checking every break along the way and found blown out knee high waves. Since we both live over in town we thought we would continue around the island and just see how the swells were on the Eastern shore with the Kona winds. We were amazed as we checked in on Goat island... knee to waist clean & glassy walls with no one out! We ran back to the truck, grabbed the boards and had the session of a lifetime. With the exception of a fifteen minute lull we only spoke in hoots and yells as we passed each other in the endless cycle of paddle turn ride, paddle turn ride. For a day without clean surf we found our oasis...